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Midgetville
Located on the shore of Lake Hopatcong, as its name implies, Midgetville is a small settlement inhabited primarily by midgets. A handful of non-midgets do live in the town, but for the most part “Bigfeet” are not welcome within the town. History Pre-War During Pre-War times, Midgetville was thought to be an urban legend and nothing more. The site, populated only by midgets, was claimed to have existed in over a dozen locations in the state, but its exact location could never be verified. While many wrote off the site as an urban legend, Midgetville did in fact exist. In 1913, Alfred Ringling, the famous circus owner and promoter, purchased nearly 1000 acres of land in Jefferson Township, a township in Morris County, New Jersey. On the site, the carnival barker built a 26-room mansion for himself and various homes for his performers and animals. Among the domiciles for his performers and animals were a handful of tiny bungalows built for the midgets in his circus. In 1919, Alfred Ringling died and the property sold. The Ringling Manor was converted into St. Stanislaus Friary, a monastery for Capuchin monks. While the majority of the performers that had lived on the estate left with the rest of the circus, the midgets stayed behind. The monks took pity on the midgets and allowed them to live on the monetary grounds, where they could live in dignity, away from the circus that exploited them and the outside world that was universally cruel to them. Post-War Midgetville survived the Great War with minimal damage, as the area was deemed unimportant by the Chinese and was not directly hit by any nuclear armament. While the monks of the monastery and others living in Jefferson Township eventually left- or were killed- the midgets living on the monastery ground remained. While common sense would dictate that the midgets would struggle to survive in the new Post-War world, the opposite happened. For reasons unknown even today, the midgets had a population boom. Some say that irradiated water from Lake Hopatcong is to blame, but the hypothesis does not bear out as nearby wastelanders have gone unaffected. Economy Because it is a mostly secluded hermitage, Midgetville is mostly self-sufficient. Crops are grown on site, to be used by the people of the settlement. Facilities exist for more industrial pursuits such as engineering, masonry, leatherworking, among others, with various individuals that are trained in such trades. Individuals with cursory and advanced medical knowledge care for the community. The elders of Midgetville are aware that there are many things the outside world provides that the community cannot provide itself, and as such, does interact with surrounding settlements and groups. Goods are regularly sold elsewhere, generally by the handful of “bigfeet” living in the community. Government Midgetville is a direct democracy, with every adult resident having a say in how the settlement is run. The town hall is always bustling with activity, with various residents debating and voting on different issues. Relations Because they are harassed more often than not, the men and women of Midgetville do their best to stay isolated from the rest of the world. When they encounter outsiders that are not hostile towards them, they are cordial and friendly, but guarded. Category:Communities Category:Places Category:New Jersey